“I want to show other kids that they can help kids,” says Joshua Small, 14.
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UPPER EAST SIDE, N.Y. — An Upper East Side teenager is saying “Yes, Chef” to help children with cancer.
Joshua Small may only be 14, but the teenage chef has meticulously planned an ambitious dinner to help raise money for Ronald McDonald House – a tasting menu with service for 60 people.
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The April 27 event, hosted by custom catering company, Tastings NYC, at their East Harlem restaurant, will be the largest dinner Small has ever planned.
Previously, Small told Patch in a phone interview that the largest meal he had previously cooked was a three-course dinner for about 18 people.
“Sixty people is pretty big,” said Small, who created the menu and sources all his own food and ingredients, “and it’s really great.”
Small will have a lot of help from his friend and big night partner of 14 years, Alexander Morris, who handles everything front of house.
“We’re really excited about it. And yes, it’s really cool because we’re both really interested in helping the Ronald McDonald House.”
The event will be held at 251 East 110th St., where Tastings NYC owns the Spanish restaurant GAUDIr.
There are two seats for 30 people each, and tickets include a cocktail on the veranda with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a three-course meal prepared by Small, based on local and seasonal produce.
Both teenagers have already been involved in raising money for the charity, which provides families with housing, food, transportation and activities while in Manhattan for pediatric cancer treatment.
Morris helped raise money and volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House, located at East 73rd Street and York Avenue on the Upper East Side, and made hot chocolate kits for the house’s residents during the holidays.
Malek says he was inspired to help when a cafe down the street from his Upper East Side school received a postcard from a parent of a cancer patient telling them how much they appreciated their delicious croissants.
“It was because it was the only thing their sick child could eat,” Small said.
After hearing this story, Small said he was “touched” by the significant role food played in helping this young child’s experience.
An avid and passionate cook since his youth, Small — who was able to hone his skills during the pandemic and has attended the Institute of Culinary Education and runs a Catskills-based catering company — contacted Chez Les Frenchies and asked about fundraising.
For the past two years, Small has prepared lasagne, soups and vegetable curries for the cafe to sell for a fundraising week, raising over $2,100 for the charity.
But this year, Small and Morris are setting their sights on something bigger. Which, frankly, Small says, is scary.
“We’re both very excited about the event,” he told Patch, “but we’re also worried about the amount of people and the scale of the event in general.”
Malk won’t be alone in the kitchen — two chefs from Tastings NYC will work under the young chef’s guidance for the evening, helping him dish out meals to hungry, charitable patrons.
Small and Morris want the dinner to become a biennial event, with all proceeds going to help children and families at the Ronald McDonald House.
For Small, the event isn’t just about raising money for kids with cancer—it’s about all the kids around.
“Really one of the main things we want to do through this as well is show other kids that no matter what your age you can help others as well as kids,” Small said. “Kids can help kids.”
Tickets are $150 each, and you can purchase your own seat for Chef Josh’s tasting menu — or simply make a donation — by clicking here.
